Hi again!
As promised, I bring to you the epilogue to 'The Cursebreaker and the Prisoner of Azkaban'. You guys requested that it be extra long, so, of course, I delivered with over five thousand words which are approximately the same as two chapters combined into one.

You have all been the best readers that a writer could ask for and I really hope that you enjoy this final segment.

With love,

Sword Gold

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Also, the specific actual locations of the Dragon Sanctuary and Charlie's cottage are actually unknown (other than the fact that they are both in Romania), So I decided to take some creative freedom with it.

Epilogue

The dragon sanctuary stretched out for as far as the eye could see. The sanctuary itself was situated at the heart of a caldera, surrounded by towering cliff faces on all sides, successfully obscuring it from the outside world.

It wasn't long until I found Charlie, crouching by one of the fenced-off caves, trying to coax one of the dragons to eat.

"Oh come on, it's really not that bad … see?"
The Romanian Longhorn grunted, flicking its tail so the bucket of raw chicken went flying across the enclosure. Apparently this particular dragon didn't like what was on the menu today and had barfed up the contents of its breakfast all over the dragon keeper who looked all but defeated until he spotted me coming towards him and flashed me one of his signature lopsided smiles.

"Hey you," Charlie's eyes lit up, grinning from ear-to-ear as he poked his head out over the railing. "I'd hug you, but as you can see I am currently covered in raw chicken guts."
"So that's what that is," I replied as he swung himself over the fence with ease.

"Yeah, Roma's been very picky recently." He explained, gesturing to the dragon that had now taken to sulking in the farthest corner by the mouth of the shallow cave. "Just let me grab a quick change of clothes from my locker first, then I'll show you around the rest of the Sanctuary."

"You might want to take a shower while you're at it," I teased, wrinkling my nose as I examined his vomit-encrusted jumper.

Charlie's cheeks flushed pink beneath his freckles as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Good idea. You can wait in my office if you like," he suggested, pointing towards a nearby door. "Just give me ten minutes max and I'll meet you there, alright?"

I didn't often get the chance to see this bashful side of Charlie and I nodded, giggling as he practically bolted down the corridor as if his pants were on fire.

I mightn't have gotten to see it much but it was something that I could definitely get used to, I thought to myself.

"Hullo there," smiled an elderly woman, who was ridiculously muscular despite her age, "What can I do for ya, Love?"

"Oh, nothing, I'm just waiting for a friend to get back," I replied quickly.

She leaned over her table, peering at me through her thick glasses before she grinned. "Ah, so you're the one then? Should've known; you look just like I imagined."

"Uh … pardon?"

"What she means to ask is what's your name?" called another wizard, a bloke who looked a similar age to Lupin only bigger and buffer with a thick Romanian accent.

"Er … Bethany."

The man immediately beamed from ear-to-ear, "So you're the famous Cursebreaker that he won't shut up about." He chimed, pushing aside his papers as he reached over the table to shake my hand. "The name's Marius; Marius Sandu, and I've got to say that it's a pleasure to finally meet the girl that Weasley 'ere keeps yapping on about in person."

I blushed, "I'm sure he doesn't talk about me that much …"

"Oh no, he does," replied the older woman, "Daniela Barbu, but you can call me Barb. You're probably the only thing that boy talks about more than dragons."

I could hear a motherly fondness in her voice as she shook her head.

"You should see the look on his face whenever he gets a letter from you," added Marius. "His eyes light up like a baby Antipodean Opaleye."
"It's bloody adorable really," agreed Barb.

"I hope you guys aren't talking about me," Charlie's voice drawled as he came in with a towel slung over his shoulder.

"Oh, we're just happy that you've actually brought in a girl for once," chimed the older witch, reaching over her desk to pinch his cheek.

"More like relieved," Marius scoffed.

"Oh shove off," Charlie scowled, blushing slightly as he ran a hand through his still-damp hair, "You guys are almost as bad as my mum …"

"Aw, don't tell us that we're embarrassing the little dragon-keeper in front of his girlfriend?"

Charlie ignored them; the pink rising up his cheeks till they tinged his ears as he turned to face me instead. "Ready to take that tour then?" he asked.

I nodded, "Whenever you are."

"So … girlfriend, huh?" I teased lightly as Charlie finished locking up the last of the separate enclosures.

Charlie blinked, "They just like tormenting me, that's all," he explained. "I swear to Merlin, they're almost as annoying as Bill …"

"Huh …" I hummed, musing over this as he averted his gaze, his face now as crimson as a setting sun as he ducked his head.

"Is that wrong though? What they were saying?" I began to fiddle with the 'C' shaped dragon pendant that he'd made and given to me so many years ago. Charlie paused, considering this for a moment before he finally seemed to understand.

"I wouldn't say that," he murmured quickly, his eyes darting from the old necklace around my neck before they eventually met mine.

Silence hung over us for a brief moment as we walked side-by-side. It wasn't an awkward silence. It was the sort of comfortable silence shared between the closest of friends.

"Do you really talk about me more than you talk about dragons?" I asked after a while.

Charlie didn't respond.

We left the dragon reserve by broom. I was doubtful that even his old Comet could hold both of my trunk and us so Charlie sent the luggage bags by Floo to his house. He pulled out his broom, glancing back at me. The winter chill hit my face from the moment that I stepped out of the Dragon Sanctuary's main building. I shivered, rubbing my hands together in an attempt to keep warm as I made my way up the slight incline, admiring how the frosted blades of grass shimmered under the sunlight along the way as we reached the edge of the caldera.
"I figured you'd like this more than going by Floo, or Portkey, …" he reasoned.

He wasn't wrong, but I couldn't resist the urge to tease him a little bit.

"You just want an excuse to go flying."

Charlie grinned, "Guilty as charged," he admitted, sunlight glistening in his brown eyes as he stood at the very edge of the caldera.

"I never would've taken you for somebody who's scared of heights though, Miss Chaser extraordinaire," drawled the Weasley.

"I'm not scared, I'm just … apprehensive," I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest as I feigned being offended.
"Right, apprehensive …"

"Besides," I added quickly, "I've never jumped off a cliff before."

"What if I dared you to?" he asked.

"Huh?"

Charlie snickered, his grin only widening as he shook out his hair.

"What if I dare you to jump with me?" he repeated, his voice laced with humour as he spoke. "You wouldn't refuse a dare, would you Cursebreaker?"

"Well, I suppose I can't back down from a dare …"

"Exactly," he said, his hand enveloping my smaller one and squeezed it gently. "What do you say?"

I considered the proposal for a minute before I relented, "Fine," I replied, "But if I fall I will hex you."
"I'll take that into consideration," the Weasley replied as he helped me mount his broom. Even now, just hearing the soft melody of his voice as he spoke was enough to send my heart into overdrive.

"Charlie Weasley, I already know how to fly a broom," I retorted as he stood behind me, his hands sending a warm tingling sensation up my spine as he tried to readjust almost everything about my posture while I floated on his Comet broom less than a few inches in the air.

"Not the way we're about to though," he replied cheerfully.

Before I could even ask him what that meant, I felt a push on the brush end of the broom, squeaking as Charlie's arm wrapped itself around my waist and we were suddenly shooting forward off the cliff.

I screamed, grabbing his arm as I screwed my eyes shut, fully expecting us to crash into the rocks below but the impact never came. I could feel him smiling as his lips brushed ever so slightly against the exposed part of my neck that my flapping scarf didn't cover.

"You can open your eyes now," Charlie murmured.

I blinked, feeling his chest vibrate with barely contained laughter as the wind roared in my ears.

He expertly directed the broom well above the caldera; the entire expanse of the snow-tipped Carpathian Mountain range spread out below us as I automatically leaned back into the comfort of his body pressed against mine.

Charlie chuckled as he snuggled into my back, nestling his chin against my shoulder as he began to scan the sky.

"See? Nothing to be afraid of," his breath tickled my ear as he spoke and I couldn't help but blush slightly. Of course, I was no stranger to flying: I had been a Chaser in my last years at Hogwarts and even had a Comet two-sixty for myself, but I don't think that I had ever flown so high before.

I shivered slightly because of the cold and Charlie's grip tightened accordingly, enveloping me in his warmth as we soared higher and higher into the atmosphere until we were up above the clouds.

"Wow," I gasped, the morning sun streaking through the cloud cover in small hallows as he guided us over what looked like an almost surreal world of white wisps.

"Amazing isn't it," Charlie grinned, "Remember where it is?"

"Remember where what is?"

"The cottage, silly," he replied, smiling softly before he pointed to a forest just beyond the horizon that looked more like a blanket of green fur from this distance. "Just beyond those woods." He sighed, "Don't tell me you've forgotten already?"

"'Course I haven't," I managed to retort, "It just looks so different from up here."

Charlie shrugged, choosing not to argue as he guided the broom a little lower over the fir trees. Sure enough, just beyond the clearing was Charlie's house on a hill.

I recognised it almost immediately. Even from a distance, I could see that it was exactly how I remembered it: a homey looking building set against a small cliff overlooking the rest of the forest and (momentarily) iced-over lake.

I felt my heart flutter slightly at the sight of it and he grinned, squeezing me in a tight embrace as we hovered to a standstill at the base of the hill.

"Welcome home."

"Is that a dragon sweater? What happened to you wearing your honorary Quidditch jersey?" I asked, cocking my head to the side as Charlie came down the stairs into the living room looking very proud.

"This is my honorary Quidditch jersey," he replied in a-matter-of-factly tone, "And England's team emblem happens to have three dragons on it …" he added.

I rolled my eyes, smiling despite myself as I shook my head.

Of course, that was the only reason why he'd insisted on rooting for England.

"You sure you'll be warm enough though?" I asked, "According to the WWN it's going to be pretty cold …"

"Ah, but you forget who you're talking to," said Charlie, "I don't feel the cold remember?"

"You might not feel the cold but that doesn't mean that you can't catch a cold," I reasoned.

"Don't worry, I'll bring a jacket," he promised, puckering his lips, "I'm more concerned about you though – your hands are freezing."

He rubbed them in his own; his callouses brushing against my knuckles as he squeezed them gently.

I grinned, my heart fluttering at the skin-to-skin contact. "I should be alright as long as my human furnace stays close."

Charlie raised an eyebrow, "Your personal furnace, huh?" he replied, "And here I was under the impression that you fancied me for my good looks."

I giggled, elbowing him gently as he fake-pouted.

"Ready to get going?"

"Lead the way, Cursebreaker."

"According to Andre apparently the Transylvanian team consists of werewolves and demon vampires," Charlie murmured as we found our seats near the top of the stadium, "I always thought he was joking until I saw them up close."

I raised an eyebrow, "Demon vampires? Really Charlie?"
"I'm serious!" he insisted, "Have you seen their pictures in the Daily Prophet? You've got to admit that those Beaters are definitely hairy enough to be mistaken for werewolves …"

"Charlie Weasley, that's rude." I chastised, pretending to look insulted as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"See for yourself. They'll be coming out any second now …"

I was about to respond when a magically amplified voice rang over the stadium: "Welcome witches and wizards to the first qualifiers for this year's four hundred and twenty-second, Quidditch, World, Cup!"

"Hey, wait a second," Charlie paused, "Is that … Murphy in the commentator's box?"
"Murphy? As in Murphy McNully?" I craned my head over the crowd in the direction which Charlie was pointing to see that, sure enough, today's commentator was none another than our old Gryffindor classmate, Murphy McNully.

Murphy grinned, winking as he waved at us before turning back to the loudspeaker, his voice resonating throughout the entire stadium as he went back to announcing.

"I'm Murphy McNully, Sports commentating extraordinaire and I'll be telling you all the ins and the outs of today's match on this glorious winter night. Now without further ado, let's bring out the teams!"

Cheers erupted from either side of the stands as he spoke.

"Flying in on their silver nimbuses all the way from the lovely United Kingdom, everybody put down your cuppas and give a warm welcome to the English Quidditch Team!"

The crowd roared in ovation, waving red and white banners as each Quidditch player zoomed out.

"Coming out in order with have Seeker, Blythe Parkin, cousin of the famous Skye Parkin! Then here come the three Chasers: Captain Avery Hawksworth, Edric Vosper and Keaton Flitney, shortly followed by Beaters Dawn Witney and Indira Choudry and last but not least their Keeper Denison Frisby!"

You could tell immediately that Blythe was definitely one of the legendary Parkins by the way she held herself; flying in front of her teammates and practically radiating confidence. It reminded me of her cousin Skye and I couldn't help but smile: Skye had been the one to coach me to become a Chaser in the first place.

"Aaaand coming in from the right, they're green, they're mean, ladies and gentlemen give it up for the Transylvanian Quidditch Team!"

Sure enough, true to Charlie's word I could see that the Transylvanian Quidditch players did look a little bit wolfish in stature ("That doesn't mean that they're actually werewolves though," I insisted.)

"I'd tell you what their names are but if I'm to be absolutely honest there's almost a ninety-eight per cent chance that I wouldn't be able to pronounce them."

I giggled, as Charlie shook his head. Classic Murphy …

"Today's referee will be none other than eccentric Quidditch star coach Orion Amari, who I happened to go to school with if anybody's interested."

Our eyes both widened when we heard the name of the Gryffindor's old Quidditch Captain being announced and scanned the field as he came out. Orion hadn't changed much from how he'd always been: laid back with his surfer styled mop of brown hair and whisker-like beard. The only real difference was instead of wearing his usual khakis and loose brown robes he wore the black-and-white checker uniform of a referee and a black baseball cap.

"Orion says a few words, no doubt about teamwork, Flobberworms and having a clean game before he gives the signal. Aaaaaand they're off!"

"It's the Transylvanians who have possession of the Quaffle as they tear up the pitch with their Transylvanian barb brooms and beater Dawn Witney tries to lodge a Bludger in their direction but the Transylvanian Chaser glides right past it as if it were never there at all and he shoots and he scores, making the first ten points of tonight!"

"If I'm not mistaken, England's Chasers are about to perform their famous Rowntree Counter, and look at them go! Vosper, Hawksworth and Flitney all dive at the same time as the colours of their national flag come flying out of their broom, shooting through the sky like the Red Arrows as they try and knock two opposing players off their brooms but it seems that the Transylvanian team won't have a bar of it. And ooh, Vosper's overhead kick has come into contact with the head of fellow Chaser rather than the Quaffle – bad luck mate, and Amari calls for a timeout as the Chaser is flown down with what is no doubt a painful concussion that is more than likely to leave a bruise or two."

We watched as medics rushed onto the scene with potions in hand.

"And after that slight hiccup, the English team seem to be back on their feet but they'll need more than fast nimbuses if they want to catch up to Transylvania who are still in the lead by sixty points now."

"Hawksworth manages a sneaky intercept to take possession of the Quaffle as he darts down the pitch looking hell-bent on scoring and he does! Finally giving the team their first much needed ten points for the night."
"Flitney tries again but is parried off by Transylvania's Keeper who performs an impressive Sloth-Hook-Grip and tosses the Quaffle back to its Chaser who dodges Choudry's Bludger by a hair and scores yet another goal for Transylvania!"

"It's not a good night for the English as they lose yet another penalty after a nasty case of cobbing between Chasers, giving the Transylvanian Chaser yet another free penalty, bringing their score up to two hundred. It seems that England's only chance of winning now is up to their Seeker Blythe Parkin who is still looking for the elusive Golden Snitch. And ladies and gentlemen I think she's found it, and yes she's spotted the snitch. Remember this might be England's one and only chance to save them from annihilation but ooh! Transylvania's Beater hits a Bludger that very nearly wipes Parkin clean out of the sky."

Charlie and I winced as Skye's cousin took a Bludger to the back, only managing to stay on her broom out of pure skill, but the damage had already been done and the Snitch was nowhere to be seen.

"The referee signals for a time-out but the Seeker insist that she's a-okay. I suppose if Skye Parkin has trained her than she'd be used to being knocked over by Bludgers. With the Snitch out of sight, Transylvania scores yet another five goals bringing the score now two hundred and fifty to ten and boy, England's team isn't doing too well tonight. It seems that only a miracle will save them now. And, speaking of a miracle it looks like Frisby has managed to stop the Transylvania's from scoring again with an impressive catch and it doesn't look like the Chaser's too happy about that. But what's this? It looks like the Transylvanian Seeker has spotted the Snitch now and is making a dive which Parkin soon follows but oh it's a Wronski Feint and it looks like Parkin fell right for it."

We groaned along with the rest of England's fans while the Transylvanians cheered wildly.

"Time's running out for the English, who have still not managed to score another goal past that massive giant of a Keeper. And oh! Transylvania's Seeker is diving again and yes it's the real deal! He's actually spotted the Snitch and he catches it, giving his team an amazing whopping one hundred and ten points and that's it, the game's over and Transylvania has won the first qualifiers towards the Quidditch World Cup, leaving England behind in the dust!"

"Three hundred and ninety to ten," grumbled Charlie gloomily, "If that's not depressing, then I don't know what is …"
"Ireland looks like it'll make it through to the semi-finals at least, so that's something to look forward to," I reasoned, wrapping my arm around his as we made our way through the stands with the other equally disappointed Quidditch fans.

"True, Ireland does probably have the strongest team so far," he agreed, "But three hundred and ninety to ten," he shook his head, "Our team was slaughtered, Bethany … Slaughtered!"

"I know," I sighed, squeezing his hand in mine in an attempt to comfort the miserable Weasley. "But, speaking of finals, how about we douse our misery with one final Butterbeer at the local pub before we leave?"
Charlie considered this before he nodded, "Well, it is hard to say no to another Butterbeer."

The local pub was full of both cheering and weeping. On one side, the Transylvanian National Quidditch team was celebrating their latest victory, a group of fans even pouring an entire barrel of Butterbeer over their team captain. On the other were the English fans, drowning their sorrows with a good pint of Firewhiskey.
"Aw, cheer up lad," beamed the bartender in Romanian as he poured us each a tankard, "We won didn't we? Here, on the house for you and yeh pretty lady-friend."

We thanked the barman before we found an empty booth in the furthest corner of the small pub and sat down.

"That was nice of him," I said as I sipped the froth from my drink. The smooth butterscotch trickled down my throat, feeling my body with its warmth. It was the perfect something to have after spending the day standing out in the freezing cold of the Pitch outside.

"Yeah, hard to believe that he didn't figure out that we were rooting for the other team," said the Weasley, "Or maybe he did and just felt sorry for us," he added as an afterthought.

"Well, either way, it's hard to say no to free Butterbeer," I shrugged.

"I guess," said Charlie, "Though I'll never hear the end of this back at the Sanctuary," he groaned, running a hand through his windswept hair.
"England might be out of the running but there's still the semi-finals, and, before you know it we'll be at the World Cup together."
Charlie almost spluttered on his Butterbeer when I said that.

"You mean you'll go to the World Cup with me?" he blinked, "Really?"

"Of course," I said, taking his hand in mine from across the table and squeezing it gently, "As if I need an excuse to spend more time with my favourite Weasley, doing what he loves."

It may have been a trick of the light filtering through the window, but I could have sworn that I saw the tips of his ears turn red.

"I knew I saw you two in the stands!" chimed Murphy who came whizzing in on his wheelchair. "You should've told me that you were coming otherwise I could've gotten you both top seats in the box with me!"
"Not that it would've made much of a difference," muttered Charlie.

"We were rooting for England," I explained.

"Well, there was no way that they could've won after that's Wronski Feint," reasoned Murphy, "In fact, the chances of them pulling through were less than ten-point-nine …"
"Yes McNully, we saw the scores," I replied.

"Right, was I interrupting something? I feel like I was interrupting a moment between you two …" he said and Charlie spluttered on his Butterbeer, "I was, wasn't I? Well, don't mind me, I'll just be collecting my winnings. Skye owes me sixty-three galleons and a Butterbeer now. You've always got to admire good strategy, hey Weasley?" he grinned, patting Charlie's shoulder and giving me a wink before he wheeled off in the direction of the bar.

Charlie rubbed the back of his neck, "It's getting a bit loud in here," he murmured.

"It is, isn't it?" I agreed, cleaning the spilt Butterbeer with a Scourgify spell before I finished my tankard.

"So … back to mine then?" he suggested.
"Charles Weasley, are you sure that you're not a Legilimens? Because I swear to Merlin that you just read my mind."

Charlie waggled his eyebrows, "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Explain to me again why we're out here in the cold instead of inside your house where it's warm?" I asked.

"You'll see." Charlie replied cheerfully, "Okay, your left hand should be in front of your right unless you're left-handed. You're not left-handed, are you? Blimey, I should know this by now, shouldn't I?"

"Charlie, I've mounted a hexed broom. You know that I'm not exactly a newbie when it comes to flying," I responded as he continued to fuss over my posture.

"But I've got something slightly different planned," he said, his hands much warmer than mine as he readjusted my grip. With each touch came an unexplainable charge that sent tingles up my spine.

When Charlie had mentioned that he had a surprise waiting for me back at the cottage, I'd been expecting a nice dinner or perhaps a midnight stroll through the forest …

What I had not expected was a lesson in the basics of how to hold a broom.

It had been a few months now since that fateful day at the Leaky Cauldron where the two of us had finally comprehended our feelings for each other and, along with this new realisation came the persistent blushing: whether it be our hands brushing against one another when he helped me with my trunk, or the way he'd flash me one of his lopsided grins whenever he saw me; not to mention the fact that I would virtually melt inside every time he shot a wink my way. Mind you, it also came with the benefit of seeing him blush more often …

Before I could process what was going on he opened a small box revealing a Golden Snitch. I watched as the golden orb flitted around us before it shot off in a high arc over the cottage, and, just when the speck had almost disappeared from sight I felt another push on the brush end of the broom, gasping as Charlie's arm wrapped around my waist once more and we were suddenly shooting forward towards the stone wall. I winced, gripping his arm as I screwed my eyes shut but the impact never came.

Charlie directed the broom well above the cottage, the expanse of the frozen lake and countryside spread out below us as I automatically leaned into the warmth of his body pressed against mine. Everything looked so different at night. The lake glittered like sapphire, reflecting the starry night above and the wind whistled gently through the white-tipped fir trees.

"Do you see it?" he asked, his breath tickling my ear as he spoke.

"See what?" I asked.

"The snitch, silly."

"So … am I just looking for something gold then?" I managed to ask.

Charlie chuckled as he snuggled into my back, nestling his chin against my shoulder as he began to scan the night sky.

"Not exactly. You're mostly looking for movement. Sometimes I find it helps if I close my eyes for a second to refocus. Obviously it's harder to find in the dark but its movements should shimmer as it moves ever so slightly…"

"Found it!"

Charlie had us darting. Never had I ever flown so fast in my life. I clung to him for support as he expertly guided us around trees, dropping under the slopes and crannies of the cliff face as the Snitch came into view.

I reached out, steadied by Charlie's grip and caught it.

I felt its wings flitter flutter against my palm as Charlie cheered, squeezing me in a tight embrace as we hovered to a standstill at the foot of the hill.

"You did it, Bethany!" he grinned, "That's why I love you so much – you trusted me and followed your instincts and that was just bloody brilliant!"

He gave me a second squeeze at his last sentence, but the air had already left my lungs, the broom dropping unceremoniously between us while his hold kept me steady.

"You … you love me?"

Charlie stiffened, his arms immediately loosening as the tension grew between us.

"You said you love me," I repeated, my brain still trying to process the information as I stepped backwards.

Charlie ran an awkward hand through his hair, "I did, didn't I?" he murmured, "Not exactly how I planned on saying it, but true nonetheless …"

"R-really?"

"Really," he nodded as he reached for my hands, "I love you. I love you so much," he emphasised with a gentle squeeze, "I should have said it ages ago and …"

I tugged him forward, filling the space between us as I pressed my lips against his.

He gasped; his arms weaving their way around my waist as he kissed me back before he eventually pulled away, grinning like an idiot.

"I love you too," I replied, breathless and red-faced but all so happy.

Charlie chuckled, our foreheads pressed together as I traced my fingers over his freckles and smiled.

"So, I'm guessing by the looks of things that I can assume that this date was a success?" he asked eventually.

I nodded.

"Now can we please get out of this cold?" I whined, burying my face into the shoulder of his jacket. "You might be a human furnace but I'm definitely not …"

So, what did you think? I found it a bit difficult to get the feeling of the game through Murphy's commentary (going over the Quidditch games in Hogwarts Mystery, watching the movies and reading through the Goblet of Fire were my main inspirations) but I did try my absolute best.

Speaking of the Goblet of Fire, something along those lines might be coming up in another story (Hint, hint, nudge, nudge). Anyway, thank you again for sticking with through my story and I hope that you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it to share with you amazing fans. - S.G.